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Archive for September 10th, 2009

The CBC reports that Industry Canada spent $1.4 million on the cell phone cost calculator that was scrapped due technical limitations/lobby pressure. I first covered the cancellation in a column last week.

Industry Minister Tony Clement has re-affirmed earlier comments that the introduction of a new copyright bill may take until the Spring 2010. In a Toronto Star interview, Clement emphasizes the need to establish a bill that withstands the test of time and that he'd like a bill this fall but […]

Canada's Privacy Commissioners have issued a resolution calling on the government to proceed with caution on its lawful access legislation. The resolution calls for evidence that the new provisions are needed, seeks alternatives, and sets conditions for striking the right balance.

MTS Allstream, CAIP, and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business are among the companies and groups that have launched the Campaign for Competitive Broadband, an effort to overturn a recent CRTC decision on competitor access to broadband networks.

Although the government has still not posted the transcripts from the final two copyright roundtables, all ten have now been completed. In all, 111 groups and individuals participated. As the chart below shows, the music and publishing industries led the way with the most representatives, followed by film/movie, creators, collectives, libraries, and academics. Most groups appeared once, the exceptions being ACTRA and the Songwriters Association of Canada (twice each).

Number of Appearances

Groups/Individuals

8

Music Industry

Publishers

7

Film/Movie

Copyright Collectives

Performers, Artists and Writers

Library

Academics

ISPs

6

Civil Society

Students

5

Business Groups

Education

Other

4

Musicians/Songwriters

Museums

Broadcasters

Lawyers

2

First Nations Groups

Photographers

Software

Internet companies

1

Archivists

Blind

The top issues raised during the roundtables mirror the issues discussed in the thousands of submissions that have been posted online. These include fair dealing, WIPO ratification, the approach on anti-circumvention, and ISP liability. Other notable issues included crown copyright, statutory damages, and subject specific recommendations for photographers, archivists, and museums. A full summary of key messages is posted below.